Tampon



June 2, 1964 w. KOBLER ETAL TAMPON Filed NOV. 15, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORE M e/wer Kofi/er' Karl KabZe/ A ORNEYS Ju'ne 2, 1964 w. KO'BLER ETAL 3, 35,

i TAMPON Filed Nov. 15, 196i 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS Wv'ner' Kai/er Kari Kat/er JJ I/n/L TTORNEY United States Patent 3,135,262 TAMPON Werner Kobler, 43 Huttenstrasse, and Kurt Kobler, 42 Huttenstrasse, both of Zurich, Switzerland Filed Nov. 15, 1961, Ser. No. 152,480 Claims priority, application Switzerland Nov. 16, 1960 I 5 Claims. (Cl. '128285) The present invention relates to a catamenial tampon of compressed absorbent material and provided with a withdrawal cord, said tampon being enclosed in a protective wrapping which opens like an umbrella for introducing the tampon into the vagina and thus protects the hand or finger which introduces the tampon, the open umbrella side including a space-saving, easily to be opened closure means.

The protective wrapping consists of a soft moisturerepellent and easily sliding foil which is folded like an unbrella to form a wrapper for the tampon in such a manner that the tampon is enclosed at one end thereof, while the open end of the umbrella-like wrapping extends beyond the tampon and the projecting umbrella portion is formed into a closure member by folding it back over the tampon. Tampons enclosed in such manner may be placed to a box which for instance is provided with partition walls so that the closure member is retained in its respective position, but will be automatically loosened for a particular tampon as soon as the latter is taken out of the box.

The closure member which is formed by folding the extending umbrella portion back over the tampon may also be secured in position by an elastic or a tearable band, the withdrawal cord which protrudes out of the closure member suitably being placed underneath said band, so that the end of said cord can be grasped and the secured closure member detached or torn-open by the withdrawal cord. Advantageously, the closure member consists of a banderole, the material of which can be torn easily by means of the withdrawal cord. The width of the banderole approximately corresponds to the length of the tampon, while the end of the withdrawal cord protrudes out of the banderole only with a short portion. This packing arrangement provides additional protection for the tampon, which is of particular value when a single tampon is carried in a hand-bag. Furthermore, it also protects the withdrawal cord against contamination practically along its entire length.

Instead of using the withdrawal cord for tearing the banderole open, the latter may also be provided with any desired separate means for tearing it open.

The shield or umbrella which is formed by the packing foil and protects the hand and fingers during the insertion,

can instantaneously be opened by a simple pull on the tearing means and then easily unfolded.

The packing arrangement for the tampon according to the invention is space-saving. It permits the attainment ,of a package of small dimensions for a number of tampons and permit the volume of the package to be barely greater than the volume of the corresponding number of tampons enclosed. It, thus, combines the advantage of the hermetic packing and the simple hygienic manner of application by means of a protective shield with the convenience offered by the compact packing arrangement. This compact packing represents just for this article an essential factor of value.

The present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating, by way of example, several preferred forms of a tampon according to the invention, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is perspective view of a tampon and wrap per in unpacked condition;

ice

FIGURES 2 and 3 are side views of the tampon during the wrapping operation;

FIGURES 4 and 5 are side views each representing an example of an enclosed tampon;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view showing how the closure member of a tampon according to FIGURE 5 is torn open;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view showing a tampon held ready for insertion with one hand at the bottom end thereof, and

FIGURE 8 is a cross-sectional view of a box containing a plurality of tampons and held in closed condition.

The tampon 1 shown in FIGURES 1 to 3, made of absorbent material as is usual, comprises a withdrawal cord 2 and a protective wrapping formed by a foil of soft material. In enclosing the tampon 1, the foil 3 is wrapped like an umbrella around the tampon 1, so that the withdrawal cord extends along the tampon and projects out of the protective wrapper at the open end of the wrapper. As FIGURE 3 shows, the closure arrangement is formed by folding the umbrella portion extending beyond the tampon 1 back over the tampon, subsequently the backfolded umbrella portion is secured to the tampon by means of a band. FIGURE 4 shows a small safety band 5, while the safety band 6 of the example according to FIGURE 5 extends over the major portion of the length of the tampon 1. The band may consist of elastic material, for example rubber, so that it can easily be slipped over the tampon or removed therefrom; alternatively, the closure may be formed as a tear band and made for example of paper. For tearing the band open in this case a tear band or tear thread may be inserted therein.

As illustrated in FIGURE 6, the pull-back cord 2 itself may also be used for tearing open the band 6 or 5. In packed condition the wide band 6 protects not only the tampon 1 but also the protective sheath 3 together with its portion which has been folded back upon the tampon, and also the withdrawal cord, of which only a small end part projects from underneath the band, just permitting to grasp the extremity of the cord.

After the safety brand 6 has been torn open according to FIGURE 6, the foil 3 can be opened by hand like an umbrella and positioned like a shield over the hand. The finger introducing the tampon is also protected by the foil. At the same time the withdrawal cord 2 has been exposed so as to be ready for use when required.

In the embodiment according to FIGURE 8 a plurality of tampons which are wrapped each in umbrella-like manner in a protective wrapper 3, are packed in a box 7 which comprises a transverse web 9 provided with slots 8. The umbrella portion of the wrapper 3 which projects beyond the tampon is passed upwardly through one of these slots 8 and then folded back and passed downwardly through a second slot 8 and placed against the tampon; in this manner the web 9 forms a reliable closure means for the protective wrapper 3 which closure will automatically be released when the individual tampon is taken out of the box.

We claim:

1. A catamenial tampon comprising an unpleated square piece of a thin, flexible wrapper, a tampon body, said wrapper being wrapped about said body, said wrapper having a size longer than the length of said body when wrapped thereabout, whereby the corners of said wrapper extend beyond said body, the extending part of said wrapper being bent over backward along one side of said tampon body whereby said tampon body is enclosed in said wrapper hermetically; a band extending around said wrapper and its backwardly bent portion, thus, holding said backwardly bent portion firmly against said side of the tampon body making its wrapper sides stronger, said band covering only an intermediate portion of the length of said body, leaving the ends of-said body free of'said band, a string having an end portion protruding from underneath said band and extending toward the bottom of the tampon, said string serving as means for tearing the band open, and also serving as means'for bending s'aid corners of the wrapper upwards without unfolding the wrapper, whereby the said corners of the 'wrapper stand apartfrom eachother, and whereby said corners are'then suitable for being seized by hand individually in order end of said body'and 'being folded back on itself along 20 a side of said body; and 'a closure member formed as a band encircling said body and said folded ba'clc wrapper portion,said band covering only an intermediate portion of the-length of said body, leaving the end portions thereof free of said band, a cord extending from said one end of said body and out of said wrapper and within and beyond said band so as to serve as means for removing said'bandandstraightening the folded back portion of said wrapper axially of said body.

3. A tampon according to claim 2 in which the band is made of tearable material.

4. A tampon according to claim 3, in Which the width of said closure band extends over the major portion of the length of the tampon and only a short end portion of said withdrawal cord to be gripped protrudes from underneath the said band.

5. A catamenial tampon according to claim 2, and in which said wrapper is square whereby when said wrapper is straightened by' saidic'ord axially of'said body the corners 'of said wrapper extend'fa'r'ther than the intermediate edge portions thereof and serve as means to'be grasped to open said wrapp'e'rfrom around -s'aid' other end of said body.

ReferencesCited in the'file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,176,114 Wells; Oct. 17, 1939 3,058,469 Crockford Oct. 16, 1962 FORElGN PATENTS 1,018,586 Great Britain Oct. 31, 1957 93,641 Holland Mar. 15, 1960 354,898 Switzerland July 31, 1961 

1. A CATAMENIAL TAMPON COMPRISING AN UNPLEATED SQUARE PIECE OF A THIN, FLEXIBLE WRAPPER, A TAMPON BODY, SAID WRAPPER BEING WRAPPER ABOUT SAID BODY, SAID WRAPPER HAVING A SIZE LONGER THAN THE LENGTH OF SAID BODY WHEN WRAPPED THEREABOUT, WHEREBY THE CORNERS OF SAID WRAPPER EXTEND BEYOND SAID BODY, THE EXTENDING PART OF SAID WRAPPER BEING BENT OVER BACKWARD ALONG ONE SIDE OF SAID TAMPON BODY WHEREBY SAID TAMPON BODY IS ENCLOSED IN SAID WRAPPER HERMETICALLY; A BAND EXTENDING AROUND SAID WRAPPER AND ITS BACKWARDLY BENT PORTION, THUS, HOLDING SAID BACKWARDLY BENT PORTION FIRMLY AGAINST SAID SIDE OF THE TAMPON BODY MAKING ITS WRAPPER SIDES STRONGER, SAID BAND COVERING ONLY AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF THE LENGTH OF SAID BODY, LEAVING THE ENDS OF SAID BODY FREE OF SAID BAND, A STRING HAVING AN END PORTION PROTRUDING FROM UNDERNEATH SAID BAND AND EXTENDING TOWARD THE BOTTOM OF THE TAMPON, SAID STRING SERVING AS MEANS FOR TEARING THE BAND OPEN, AND ALSO SERVING AS MEANS FOR BENDING SAID CORNERS OF THE WRAPPER UPWARDS WITHOUT UNFOLDING THE WRAPPER, WHEREBY THE SAID CORNERS OF THE WRAPPER STAND APART FROM EACH OTHER, AND WHEREBY SAID CORNERS ARE THEN SUITABLE FOR BEING SEIZED BY HAND INDIVIDUALLY IN ORDER TO UNFOLD SAID WRAPPER WITHOUT THE HANDS TOUCHING THE TAMPON BODY. 